Officials said they sent fighter jets and other aircraft to intercept the Russian warplanes in the ADIZ, the international airspace outside the U.S. and Canada.
U.S. officials said Tuesday that North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and intercepted four Russian warplanes that were approaching Alaska on Monday, including TU-95 BEAR-H bombers and SU-35 fighter aircraft that were within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Officials said they sent two F-16 fighter jets, two F-35A fighter jets, two KC-135 Stratotankers and an E-3 Sentry to intercept the Russian aircraft in the ADIZ—the international airspace outside the U.S. and Canada near Alaska. The incident is not related to the suspicious objects shot down over Alaska and Canada last weekend, NORAD said, and is not considered “a threat nor is the activity seen as provocative” because Russian activity is fairly normal in the ADIZ.
